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MARKETING ARTISAN TONNELIER EN VALLÉE DU RHÔNE Companies such as Vin65 develop tablet-based tasting room software and smartphone-friendly winery web sites. American Oak 3-year seasoned The Continental hungarian oak five stars. Favorites are denoted by clicking on a heart icon. All data is saved to a customer's profile on the winery's database, thus setting up a detailed case history based on prior visits. The 500-case Pithy Little Wine Co., San Luis Obispo, Calif., is currently using Vin65's tablet-based rating system in its tasting room. Jeff Munsey, vice president and co-founder, reported that it's going well. "From our perspective it has been very success- ful. Munsey mentioned the need for customers to get past their own insecurities with using touch-based tablet devices. "Some people are apprehensive about using them. After years and years of being asked to write their information down on a form, this is something new and people are skittish." JOHN SCHILTER | WINEMAKER THE TRADITION OF PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN COOPER AND WINEMAKER CONTINUES. 707.696.7695 (phone) 2180 Oak Knoll, Napa CA 94558 john@heritagebarrels.com www.heritagebarrels.com 50 Wines & Vines MAY 201 1 iPad in the tasting room Pithy Little Wine Co. uses iPads in its tasting room for three main reasons: First, it's a quick way to capture information for the email list. Second, as a platform for securely signing up wine club members, completely eliminating the need for inse- cure paper forms. Third, the iPad wine list interface helps guide passive self-directed customers. "It allows them to explore the winery at their own pace in an interactive way." Munsey noticed that the deeper customers got into the exploration of the wines through the iPad, the more likely they were to make purchases. "It's not an exact science, it comes down to the empowerment of the customer to pick and choose what's interesting to them. They can drill down to what they want to focus on; it gives them more things to discuss and opens up greater dialogue because you can't always fit everything on a wine tasting sheet." Munsey mentioned that the other benefit to a tablet-based CRM solution is the off-site ability to take orders and collect transactions. "It allows us to really serve the customer in an easy and secure way," he said. Pithy Little Wine Co. maintains three levels of its wine club, covering a diverse range of affordability that's divided into three categories: drink, share and collect. The $30 one-bottle club member receives a "drink" shipment, the $80 two-bottle member receives one "drink" and one "share" bottle, the $150 three- bottle club member receives the same wines as the two-bottle member plus one "collect" bottle. "Vin65 makes it seamless to speak to and manage each of these tiers," Munsey said. Pithy Little Wine Co. also uses CRM to send out discounts and incen- tives as well as introducing new releases.